There was an old man on the border

Last Haiku of the day

Right at my feet -
And when did you get here
snail?

Yoshi Mikami Issa (1762-1826)


Had funny old day today - after some quite spectacular artistic block this morning, with much rambling around the house picking things up, and putting them down again, I made these. I wanted to do some poems, and after feeling bit intimidated by poems with lots of lines, haiku seemed like a good option. I found this site http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku
which is quite sweet, and finally after a last cup of tea, got going. Got a little bit carried away on the cherrie blossom one, but am quite pleased with how what looked like a bit of a disaster of a day turned out in the end.

Another Little Haiku

In my old home,
which I forsook, the cherries
are in bloom.

Yoshi Mikami Issa (1762-1826)

A Little Haiku

Night, and the moon!
My neighbour playing on his flute -
Out of tune!

Kojo

Amorous Dacentrurus

Freddy and the Fairy

This is my entry to the Waterstones competition 'Picture This' to find illustrator for new Julia Donaldson book. It's been really good to make an entry as it included character design - which after the Beast of the Thames 'pulling teeth' experience - I actually really enjoyed! The competition brief was for one double page spread (above) and design for the three main characters and some beasties (below). Despite the fact that I hate bloody fairies, I think Besse Belle turned out to be my favourite. If I had time to redo the double page spread -which, of course, I don't, that would be crazy, I would vary the scale of the figures much more, as I think they all look a bit the same. I would also change the perspective so that it looked much more like the fairy was about to be dropped from a great height, and possibly put a hedgehog underneath her. Did I mention that I hate fairies?

Freddie and the Fairy - Character Drawings

True Stories

Here is my finished entry for the Cheltenham illustration awards. Had lots of fun making this, especially with the dinosaur, which could become a new favourite thing to draw - especially as 'well, I do need to draw some dinosaurs' is just the best excuse to hang out in the Natural History Museum for a day. Or two.

Birds Sketch

Disco Birds

Pants.

This is a bit of a picture I have just finished for the Cheltenham Illustration Awards . I have been using lots of photographed textures in my work. I quite like this, but am going to try and be a bit more free in my next one. I am now taking a run at another competition from Waterstones to illustrate a text from Julia Donaldson -she of the Gruffalo and other such lovely things. I will therefore, mostly be drawing fairys, before returning for a final spell with some pink capybaras.